Life for immigrants in urban areas during the early part of the 20th century was incredibly difficult. Not only were working conditions horribly unsafe, but also the pay was minimal, forcing men and women, young and old, to work to contribute economically to the family’s survival. This necessity had a tremendous impact on the immigrants’ conception of age and gender roles.

The variation in life experiences for each of these families translated into variations in what it meant to be an American for Jurgis Rudkis and Jeanne Wakatsuki. Jurgis had placed emphasis on the desire for economic prosperity and comfortable living, while Jeanne Wakatsuki only needed acceptance and approval to “be an American,” even though she was an American.

In spite of all these difficulties, family remained the most important aspect of immigrant life. The lives of immigrants fostered a sense of mutual dependence among family members; families fought to maintain these ties in the face of discrimination, exploitation and extreme economic hardship.

The structure of camp life served to aid in the breakdown of traditional Japanese life. Cramped living quarters, when combined with the trauma of rapid relocation, led families to spend most of their time outside of their barracks with friends rather than family. The mess hall dining experience was a tremendous change also—dining had previously been strictly a family affair—in the camps the family no longer ate together, further enabling the breakdown of family structure. Children no longer had the same degree of deferential respect they had once had for their elders because they were often permitted to roam freely and became more influenced by their friends, rather than elder family members.

In The Jungle, the experiences of Jurgis Rudkis and his family can, to some extent, be seen as representative of the experiences of most immigrants early in the 20th century. Jurgis and family arrived in the U. S. with hopes for a comfortable, stable future. As unskilled workers, they found themselves relegated to work in the stockyards—a very dangerous, unsanitary place to work. Unsafe working conditions and the practice of “speeding up” (Sinclair, pg. 61) the lines made accidents and injuries, sometimes fatal, commonplace. The sheer number of unskilled immigrant workers looking for employment made for an uncertain future for one who was injured on the job—he/she could easily be replaced—forcing the entire family further into economic uncertainty.

When the U. S. became involved in the Pacific theatre of World War Two, the loyalty of the Japanese in America became suspect. The resulting internment in camps served unintentionally to break down traditional Japanese culture and the wartime anti-Japanese propaganda ensured that anti-Asian sentiments would persist in the post-war period. This would affect the Asian experience in the U. S., especially for those of Japanese descent, making it difficult for them to lead normal lives after the war ended.

Some topics in this essay:
Jurgis Rudkis, Jeanne Wakatsuki, Jeanne Wakatsuki’s, World War, American Japanese-American, West Coast, Native-born Americans, Japanese America, , Manzanar Jeanne’s, 20th century, jeanne wakatsuki, japanese descent, west coast, half 20th century, life experiences, jurgis rudkis, asian immigrants, traditional japanese, immigrant life, native-born whites, immigrants asian descent, immigrants late 19th, competition native-born whites, traditional japanese culture,